Magic Forward Chuma Okeke Injures Knee vs. Pacers; What's His Status?

Chuma Okeke left Monday's game against the Indiana Pacers with a knee injury. When will he play for the Orlando Magic again?

Jeremy Brener | Nov 22, 2022

Magic Forward Chuma Okeke Injures Knee vs. Pacers; What's His Status? /

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic not only suffered another defeat towards its record Monday night against the Indiana Pacers, but it lost another key member of the rotation.

Chuma Okeke, who has been starting for the injured Paolo Banchero for the past seven games, left Monday's contest after 12 minutes with a knee injury.

With things already bleak on the injury front for the Magic, the team decided to be safe rather than sorry.

“That’s the same knee he’s dealt with before,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game. “A part of this is being careful so things don’t get any worse. We want to stay cautious with our guys and make sure we try to get healthy bodies back.”

Okeke, the 16th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Auburn, came into the league just months after tearing his ACL. He made his debut 18 months after he was drafted, playing in just 45 out of 72 games in his "rookie" season, but Okeke was healthier last year, playing in 70 out of 82 games.

This year, he has played in every game, averaging 5.4 points per game and making a big impact on the defensive end. Okeke isn't the kind of player whose contributions are always seen in the box score, but he has played a big role for the Magic this year.

It's uncertain whether Okeke will miss any time with this injury. However, given how cautious the Magic has been with injured players, it wouldn't be a surprise if he was sidelined for a bit.

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Published Nov 22, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.